Hodie: 2-Part Choral Octavo

The harmonic language here feels fresh without being inaccessible to young singers. Darin Lewis writes with real understanding of what makes a treble choir sound luminous, and the optional violin obbligato transforms this from a solid octavo into something truly special for a winter concert or festival. The arpeggiated accompaniment (playable on harp, synth harp, or piano) gives your organist or accompanist a genuine musical role rather than simply providing support.

A luminous, contemplative setting of the Christmas liturgy that lives in the space between clarity and mystery. Suspended harmonies create moments of gentle tension that resolve into warm consonance, while the arpeggiated accompaniment shimmers beneath the melody like candlelight reflected in water. The optional violin part adds an almost ethereal quality, transforming the piece into something that feels both intimate and grand.

Treble choirs at any level seeking a piece that sounds more sophisticated than its technical demands. This works for concert performance, festival competition, and sacred music programming. Middle school, high school, and adult amateur choirs will all find rewarding material here.

• Balance the haunting melody so it floats above the accompaniment rather than fighting for attention. The ethereal quality depends on clarity and restraint from both singers and pianist.
• If using the violin obbligato, schedule rehearsals with your string player early so the melodic line can be refined together. The obbligato adds textural depth that requires careful blend.
• Let the arpeggiated accompaniment breathe. This is not a piece that needs to be rushed; the suspended harmonies ask for patience and allow the dissonances to register with listeners.
• Shape the suspensions deliberately. Mark them in your score so singers understand which moments carry harmonic tension and can adjust their dynamic support accordingly.

This pairs beautifully with more jubilant Christmas selections as a moment of stillness and reflection in a winter concert. Festival adjudicators respond well to the compositional craft and the clarity of execution it demands. Consider programming it as a closing piece to a choral concert, where its sustained emotional resonance can settle with your audience.

• Sustaining legit tone through suspended harmonic dissonances
• Balancing melody against arpeggiated accompaniment textures
• Singing Latin text with accurate pronunciation and musical phrasing
• Blending with optional instrumental parts (violin obbligato)
• Understanding harmonic function and hearing how suspensions create and resolve tension